Burn Math Class : And Reinvent Mathematics for Yourself

Forget everything you’ve been taught about math. In __Burn Math Class__, Jason Wilkes takes the traditional approach to how we learn math—with its unwelcoming textbooks, unexplained rules, and authoritarian assertions—and sets it on fire.Focusing on how mathematics is created rather than on mathematical facts, Wilkes teaches the subject in a way that requires no memorization and no prior knowledge beyond addition and multiplication. From these simple foundations, __Burn Math Class__ shows how mathematics can be (re)invented from scratch without preexisting textbooks and courses. We can discover math on our own through experimentation and failure, without appealing to any outside authority. When math is created free from arcane notations and pretentious jargon that hide the simplicity of mathematical concepts, it can be understood organically—and it becomes fun!Following this unconventional approach, __Burn Math Class__ leads the reader from the basics of elementary arithmetic to various “advanced” topics, such as time-dilation in special relativity, Taylor series, and calculus in infinite-dimensional spaces. Along the way, Wilkes argues that orthodox mathematics education has been teaching the subject backward: calculus belongs __before__ many of its so-called prerequisites, and those prerequisites cannot be fully understood without calculus.Like the smartest, craziest teacher you’ve ever had, Wilkes guides you on an adventure in mathematical creation that will radically change the way you think about math. Revealing the beauty and simplicity of this timeless subject, __Burn Math Class__ turns everything that seems difficult about mathematics upside down and sideways until you understand just how easy math can be. A manifesto for a mathematical revolution Forget everything you've been taught about math. In Burn Math Class , Jason Wilkes takes the traditional approach to how we learn math — with its unwelcoming textbooks, unexplained rules, and authoritarian assertions-and sets it on fire. Focusing on how mathematics is created rather than on mathematical facts, Wilkes teaches the subject in a way that requires no memorization and no prior knowledge beyond addition and multiplication. From these simple foundations, Burn Math Class shows how mathematics can be (re)invented from scratch without preexisting textbooks and courses. We can discover math on our own through experimentation and failure, without appealing to any outside authority. When math is created free from arcane notations and pretentious jargon that hide the simplicity of mathematical concepts, it can be understood organically — and it becomes fun! Following this unconventional approach, Burn Math Class leads the reader from the basics of elementary arithmetic to various "advanced" topics, such as time-dilation in special relativity, Taylor series, and calculus in infinite-dimensional spaces. Along the way, Wilkes argues that orthodox mathematics education has been teaching the subject backward: calculus belongs before many of its so-called prerequisites, and those prerequisites cannot be fully understood without calculus. Like the smartest, craziest teacher you've ever had, Wilkes guides you on an adventure in mathematical creation that will radically change the way you think about math. Revealing the beauty and simplicity of this timeless subject, Burn Math Class turns everything that seems difficult about mathematics upside down and sideways until you understand just how easy math can be. Forget everything you've been taught about math. In Burn Math Class, Jason Wilkes takes the traditional approach to mathematics education-with its unwelcoming textbooks, unexplained rules, and authoritarian assertions-and sets it on fire. Focusing on how mathematics is created rather than on mathematical facts, Wilkes teaches the subject in a way that requires no memorization and no prior knowledge beyond addition and multiplication. From these simple foundations, Burn Math Class shows how mathematics can be (re)invented from scratch without preexisting textbooks and courses. We can discover math on our own through experimentation and failure, without appealing to any outside authority. When math is created free from arcane notations and pretentious jargon that hide the simplicity of mathematical concepts, it can be understood organically-and it becomes fun! Following this unconventional approach, Burn Math Class leads the reader from the basics of elementary arithmetic to various "advanced" topics, such as time-dilation in special relativity, Taylor series, and calculus in infinite-dimensional spaces. Along the way, Wilkes argues that orthodox mathematics education has been teaching the subject backward: calculus belongs before many of its so-called prerequisites, and those prerequisites cannot be fully understood without calculus. Like the smartest, craziest teacher you've ever had, Wilkes guides you on an adventure in mathematical creation that will radically change the way you think about math. Revealing the beauty and simplicity of this timeless subject, Burn Math Class turns everything that seems difficult about mathematics upside down and sideways until you understand just how easy math can be Act I. Ex nihilo ; Interlude 1 : Dilating time ; The infinite power of the infinite magnifying glass ; Interlude 2 : How to get something from nothing ; As if summoned from the void ; Interlude 3 : A backward look to the future Act II. On circles and giving up ; Interlude 4 : The nostalgia device ; Aesthetics and the immovable object ; Interlude 5 : Two clouds Act III. Two in one ; Interlude 6 : Slaying sharp ; N New is old ; Interlude N : (Mis)interpreted (readings) (re)interpreted : [Aleph] : The infinite beauty of the infinite wilderness ; Chapterlude [omega] : In nihilo Dictionary. The author focuses on how mathematics is created rather than on mathematical facts and teaches the subject without requiring memorization or any mathematical knowledge beyond basic computation. Source other than the Library of Congress